Fantasy Football Week 3: What to Do With Giovani Bernard After Being Limited in Practice

By Ryan Heckman

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Fantasy football folks, this past week you all witnessed just what Cincinnati Bengals rookie running back Giovani Bernard could do if given enough touches. Sooner or later, like I said before, he’ll find himself atop the depth chart. But, heading into week three, he may not be as high up on my rankings as I originally thought.

The Bengals’ injury report included plenty of names heading into the weekend with Bernard’s name as the most notable.

As the Bengals prepare to take on the Green Bay Packers Sunday, Bernard was likely limited in practice as a precaution. Cincinnati doesn’t want their up-and-coming future star to endure any further injury prior to a huge matchup on Sunday.

Plenty of fantasy owners have been questioning whether or not Bernard should be started this weekend, and with Benjarvis Green-Ellis still ahead of him on the depth chart — but, not for long — I would be hesitant to call him any higher than a RB3 or a low-end flex play this week.

Depending on whether the Bengals are playing from far behind on Sunday, Bernard should still get his touches. Head coach Marvin Lewis wants his rookie to be fresh for the Packers, thus making sure he doesn’t take too many reps in practice. I wouldn’t worry too much about him at this point, but it’ll be interesting to monitor his status Sunday morning prior to kickoff.